POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa host utility Eskom will offer technical tours to its facilities, as well as a number of in-depth workshops, during the 2016 POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa conferences and expo in Johannesburg from 19 to 21 July.

Technical tours, a popular optional feature of the POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa conference and expo, give delegates a rare opportunity to pay site visits to key installations.

This year, Eskom will offer delegates a guided tour of five research laboratories at the Eskom Research & Innovation Centre in Rosherville, Johannesburg, and a site visit to Kusile Power Station near Witbank, Mpumalanga, which will be the world’s fourth-largest coal-fired power station.

All attendees of the POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa conference can also join the Eskom Exhibition Forum at the expo, where Eskom’s leading experts will deliver presentations and case studies on power and renewable generation technologies and developments.

Eskom, which has been the host utility at POWER-GEN and DistribuTECH Africa since 2012, uses the opportunity to share its expertise, learn from international utilities and network with stakeholders.

At a recent pre-conference stakeholders’ briefing, Willy Majola, Senior General Manager: Generation Sustainability at Eskom, said a key factor in improving power generation and distribution was collaboration and knowledge sharing.

“We work with many international organisations and local universities to increase our knowledge and overcome challenges, while our partnership with POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa, enables us to meet many industry players from across the continent, which enriches us.”

Glenn Ensor, Managing Director of conference organisers PennWell, notes: “Along with the technical tours and Eskom workshops, POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa will also feature a number of special events and opportunities designed to add value to the co-located conferences.

“These include networking receptions; a workshop on modern Russian technologies for thermal power engineering hosted by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom; the EON Consulting Gen-X Theatre for young, aspiring engineers and professionals; a Turkish solar technologies pavilion, an advanced B2B matchmaking service; and a special Sub-Saharan African VIP delegation programme.”